GAMBIER – Kenyon College, the No. 3-ranked men’s soccer program in the country, made a triumphant return home after six straight road contests, upending Case Western Reserve (4-2-2).
It was a homecoming in two senses for the Owls (8-0-0), as the 4-0 win in their return to Gambier coincided with Kenyon College’s homecoming weekend.
Kenyon needed just two shots and 8 minutes to get on the board. After Kenyon stole a would-be clearance by Case, Sebastian Gaese corralled a lofted ball deep in Case’s box, making a touch to fake out the keeper before knocking the ball in with his right heel to put the Owls up 1-0 at the 8:06 mark.
Two shots later, Kenyon took a 2-0 lead thanks to the senior trio of Sam Carson, Mac Nardiello-Smith and Gaese. Nardiello-Smith found Gaese near the left goalpost, and Gaese notched his team-leading third assist after crossing to a streaking Carson, who beat CWRU’s keeper to the ball and tapped in a goal in the 19th minute.
Neither team orchestrated a hazardous attack for the rest of the half, though the Owls kept the pressure on until the halftime buzzer by earning a pair of late corners. Through 45 minutes, Kenyon held a 6-2 edge in shots, putting three on goal while holding CWRU without an on-target attempt.
The Spartans looked to get on the board early in the second frame, and their push led to a pair of shots and corners in the first 13 minutes. Neither team could get an edge, but a fresh group of Owls provided Kenyon with a spark that led to a third unanswered goal.
After the Kenyon defense thwarted a dangerous Spartan attack just before the ball entered the Owls box, Kenyon made a counterattack that culminated in Atli Hrafnkelsson, a senior, juking a defender deep in CWRU territory and passing to fellow senior Minkael Soumah, who put in his first goal of the season and gave the Owls a 3-0 lead in the 73rd minute.
The Spartans nearly had a quick answer in the 74th minute after setting up a shot off of a corner kick. The ball sliced toward the bottom left corner of the goal after skirting under a line of defenders, but sophomore goalkeeper Jack Pedreschi made a diving save to keep his slate clean.
The Owls, a team averaging six goals per game over their last two games, were not done yet. In the 83rd minute, Isaac Cortez, a first-year, lofted a pass from midfield that led sophomore Alem Duratovic into the box with just one defender and the CWRU keeper to beat. Kenyon’s leading scorer dropped the Spartan defender with a nice move and rocketed the ball past the goalie to record his ninth goal and clinch a 4-0 win for the Owls.
Kenyon outshot Case 13-6, including an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal. The offense made it 16 goals in the last six games, while Pedreschi and the Kenyon defense secured their fifth consecutive shutout.
Up next, the Owls embark on their North Coast Athletic Conference slate after concluding non-conference play. After a week off, Kenyon hosts The College of Wooster (3-3-2) on Mavec Field at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1.
